Pulse – Rock Music News

Keith Richards spoke frankly about old friend Eric Clapton's strictly anti-vaxxer public stance and his negative takes on how the government's pandemic restrictions affect the gathering of crowds.

During an appearance on Rolling Stone's Music Now podcast, Richards explained, "I just want to get rid of this damn thing, and the only way I can see us doing it is everybody does as the doctor says. I love Eric dearly. I've known him since forever, and we've had ups and downs. This Covid thing, it's split people up and made people sometimes go awry for a while, y'know? Hope you rethink here and let's do this thing."

Richards went on to speak about the growing cultural divide in and around the Covid vaccines, admitting, "I don't understand quite why some people are getting so wound up about it. You wouldn't get wound up about the flu or something, y'know what I mean? And that's even worse. And I'm no doctor, but hey, this thing works in various nasty ways on people, and we all have to bear with each other. We all have to have a little sympathy."

Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones have known each other since 1963 when Clapton's band the Yardbirds and the Stones shared management and the Yardbirds took over the Stones' residency at Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England.

Clapton told us he admires the way Keith Richards followed the lead of their blues idols and grown old making music: "I've read some good interviews where he'd said all he wanted to do was to grow up with this thing, y'know, instead of just leaving it, y'know, as if it was part of his adolescence. Grow up with it, y'know? And I think that's really an important attitude to have, and I think it caught with the rest of them. And I see. . . they're all such great musicians, and I don't think they really counted themselves as that before. And in this day and age, when the, the musician is actually a dying breed, I think they've all come to realize their worth."

Eric Clapton will next perform on May 7th and 8th at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The Rolling Stones kicks off their European tour on June 1st in Madrid, Spain at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Illness within the band forced Greta Van Fleet to postpone a few US shows last week, including on Saturday (March 19th) in Huntington, WV after guitarist Jake Kiszka was hospitalized with pneumonia. That postponement came on the heels of the cancellation of two shows in Michigan early last week due to Josh Kiszka being unwell.

The shows in Flint and Ypsilanti have already been rescheduled for September 13th and 14th, respectively. The Huntington is now set for August 10th.

Greta Van Fleet hope to resume their Dreams In Gold Tour on Tuesday (March 22nd) in Madison, WI.

On Saturday, the band shared the news of their lastest postponement with fans on social media writing, "While Josh has mostly recovered, Jake's diagnosis is more complex. What started as a small cough on Tuesday rapidly progressed overnight requiring his admission to the hospital yesterday. The last 24 hours have been arduous as doctors were unsure of the exact illness. Fortunately, after further evaluation, they are confident in their diagnosis of pneumonia and an optimal course of treatment has been determined."

Will Butler has parted ways with Arcade Fire, a band which he helped found. He shared the news via Twitter on Saturday (March 19th) just before the band's show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City writing, "I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete. There was no acute reason beyond that I've changed—and the band has changed—over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things."

Butler explained that he is working on a new solo record along with composing music for a play by David Adjmi.

He added, "The band are still my friends and family."

Butler is the brother of Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler and has been a member of the band since 2003. The final Arcade Fire album featuring Butler, called WE, is due out on May 6th.

Dave Grohl's metal album that he recorded with fictional band Dream Widow is due out this month. Acccording to Variety, the album is due out on March 25th.

In the Foo Fighters' horror-comedy film Studio 666, the band move into an Encino mansion to record their much-anticipated tenth album. Once in the house, Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces related to the studio's former residents -- Dream Window — that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the Foo Fighters.

Grohl opened up about Dream Window, saying, "The singer went crazy and murdered his whole band because of creative differences… We come in 25 years later to record, having no idea what happened 25 years ago, and I start becoming possessed by the spirit of the guy from 25 years ago and the spirit of the house. But this song, 'March Of The Insane', this is their lost record. This is the record they were making before their singer murdered them."

On the LP, he said, "It will be the lost album. It'll be the album they were making before he f*cking killed the entire band." According to Grohl, "some of it sounds like doom-metal pioneers TROUBLE; some of it sounds like Corrosion of Conformity; some of it has a KYUSS vibe."

Hayley Williams of Paramore offered up some powerful advice to young artists in the pop-punk group, The Linda Lindas. They range in age from 11 to 17.

She told them to not always say yes. And make sure you always do "what matters to you." She also said it's important to "know the value of saying no, because No' is just as powerful as saying Yes."

Father of two members of the group, Carlos de la Garza, has been producing Paramore's new album. The conversation took place when they all recently did a photo shoot together.

TL;DR:

Bastardane, featuring drummer Castor Hatfield -- the 21-year-old son of Metallica's James Hatfield -- has released its debut album, titled, Is This Rage? The 10-track collection by the Savannah, Georgia-based trio also includes vocalist/bassist Jake Dallas and guitarist Ethan Sirotzki.

Blabbermouth quoted a piece from The Hum, in which the band collectively described themselves: "We are Bastardane and we are not some average chump white male band looking to get laid. There is a time in every generation when music is the guiding light out of hard times. We just want to make emotionally empowering music that isn't trying to cater to a certain audience. Our career is about making people happy and fulfilling the emotional needs of those who can't tolerate words alone."

It seems as though the channeling anger through music has been passed down from one Hetfield to another. Metallica's James Hetfield told us a while back that he learned how to deal with his rage in a positive way while undergoing rehab for alcohol abuse: "You can handle anger and use anger in a positive sense. I felt I can take anger and be more assertive with it. It also helps me protect, like, if something's going wrong you can protect your family. I mean there's a lot of good uses for anger that I never saw before."

Bastardane is set to appear on May 27th, 28th, and 29th at Metallica's co-headlined edition of the BottleRock in Napa Valley, California.

Although Paul McCartney never played his iconic Hofner "violin" Beatle bass in concert with Wings in the 1970's -- another rock legend actually did: Robert Plant.

Plant recalled joining McCartney onstage for the December 29th, 1979 final show of The Concerts For People Of Kampuchea. Plant, who had performed Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" earlier in the night backed by Rockpile featuring Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, was part of the McCartney's massive show-closing Rockestra mini-set, which also featured Zeppelin bandmate John Bonham, the Who's Pete Townshend and Kenney Jones, among many others.

Plant remember the gig and playing the famed "Beatle bass," telling Uncut, "When we were doing The Concert for The People Of Kampuchea at Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, with this huge star-spangled band, he gave me his Hofner bass to wear. It's the beautiful bass, the one that we know from all the songs and photographs. I was miming away furiously when the f***ing strap broke. I thought that was it. I was so close to getting on with this guy and then. . . It was great, it was very funny. I think the strap was ready to go anyway, but I know Bonzo (John Bonham), who was drumming behind me, was in stitches. What could you do that was really s*** other than break the Beatles' bass?"

Plant went on to say, "I have tremendous respect for Paul and the fact his work will never be over. Also that he didn't bear a grudge."

Muse will release their ninth studio album, titled Will Of The People, on August 26th. The 10-track project will be released on digital, black vinyl and CD, as well as a selection of collectible formats. These include a marbled double-vinyl which is available exclusively from the band's official store.

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy said, "Will Of The People was created in Los Angeles and London and is influenced by the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world. A pandemic, new wars in Europe, massive protests & riots, an attempted insurrection, Western democracy wavering, rising authoritarianism, wildfires and natural disasters and the destabilization of the global order all informed Will Of The People. It has been a worrying and scary time for all of us as the Western empire and the natural world, which have cradled us for so long are genuinely threatened. This album is a personal navigation through those fears and preparation for what comes next."

Muse just released a new song from the album called "Compliance" along with the video.

The Killers will release an expanded, deluxe edition of their seventh studio album, Pressure Machine, on March 25th which will feature reimagined versions of select songs. On Monday (March 21st), to celebrate the release, The Killers will also debut a live film called Notes From A Quiet Town exclusively on Facebook. It will feature three stripped back performances from the band.

The film is set in frontman Brandon Flowers' hometown of Nephi, Utah.

Pressure Machine was originally released in August of last year.

Def Leppard has just released "Kick," the lead single from the band's upcoming album, Diamond Star Halo, which drops on May 27th. The new album -- which gets its title from T. Rex's 1971 classic "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" -- marks the band's first since their 2015 self-titled set.

Diamond Star Halo features two songs with Americana star Alison Krauss -- best known in rock circles for her recent work with Robert Plant. Also contributing is David Bowie's frequent pianist Mike Garston.

We caught up with Leppard frontman Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen and they spoke about the element of surprise in announcing Diamond Star Halo: "(Joe Elliott): We watched over the last few years how some people like to put a camera in the studio and broadcast on their website their daily recording sessions. So, by the time the record's finished, everybody's that watches already knows what its sounds like. There's no impact, y'know? So we wanted to keep it nice and quiet like (David) Bowie did for the last couple of records -- it's just 'boom!' -- big announcement. 'Say 'Oh, my God -- where did that come from?' (Phil Collen): And, like, the mystique. Back in the day when (Led) Zeppelin, yeah, or Bowie, or the (Rolling) Stones, they put something out it made it an event. It made it a bit special. And we definitely think this is, obviously. A two-and-a-half year break, the tour got cancelled, obviously Covid and everything else -- it's made it special. And we made out even more special because of that."

In October 2015, Def Leppard released its 11th album, titled, Def Leppard, which peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

• Eddie Van Halen's ex-wife, Valerie Bertinelli says that she had nothing to do with David Lee Roth splitting with Van Halen back in 1985 and claims it was "Diamond" Dave who had an issue with her. During her recent appearance on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast, she explained, "I got along great with Al (Van Halen) and with Mike (Anthony). It was someone else. I don't know why he didn't like me, but what are you gonna do? I don't know why he didn't like me. I mean, I was always nice to him. I honestly don't know. . . One day I'd like to sit down with him and go, 'Dude, what did I do? Honestly, I've always been a fan of yours. I think you're a brilliant frontman, I think you're a brilliant songwriter, I love your lyrics. Why don't you like me? What did I do?'" (Blabbermouth)
  
  
• Dave Grohl recalled meeting his hero David Bowie. While chatting with ABC Australia, the Foo Fighters leader recalled, "The first time I saw David Bowie in person was at a festival in England that he was headlining, we were lower down on the bill. And I stood in the photo pit and looked at him and it was like seeing an alien. Y'know, it was like seeing a UFO for the first timAe, like, 'Oh, my God, it's real.' That's something I've never seen before. And then getting to meet him -- all of that feeling coming down to Earth, realizing, 'Oh, my God, what a gentleman! What a brilliant, sweet, kind, outrageously funny person!'"
  • He went on to say, "I recorded a song with him. . . and watching him step in front of a microphone and begin to sing and you realize, 'Wow, that voice -- that's real, that just comes out of his mouth, that iconic voice!' The great thing about it is that it really humanizes everything. We're like, 'Wow, that's a real person.' It's reassuring, but at the same time, you're like, 'That's a hero.' That's not just another person. That's David Bowie." (Ultimate-Guitar.com)
    
    
• Geddy Lee will guest star on Canadian TV's Murdoch Mysteries, which airs on March 21st on CBC and streams on CBC Gem. According to The Canadian Press, "The storyline follows the mystery of a murdered blues saxophonist whose death was seemingly foretold in vivid detail through the lyrics of a song. Lee is part of a subplot, playing a carriage driver who's transporting lead character William Murdoch and his pregnant wife."
  • Geddy Lee joked: "I have to use some sort of modest acting skill to fit into the already well-established Murdoch Mysteries scenario." (RMOToday.com)
    
    
• Roger Waters has just tagged three new stops onto his North American summer tour. The newly added shows are August 10th at Columbia, Ohio's Nationwide Arena; October 3rd at Glendale, Arizona's Gila River Arena; and October 6 at Austin, Texas' Moody Center. Tickets for the new show go on sale today (Friday, March 25th) at 10:00 a.m. local time.
  
  
• Stephen Stills has signed on to appear at the Recording Academy's 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year event honoring Joni Mitchell. The April 1st tribute will also feature Graham Nash, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, Beck, St. Vincent, Herbie Hancock, Sara Bareilles, and Pentatonix, among others. (Best Classic Bands)

• Steely Dan's Donald Fagen issued a statement regarding Aimee Mann being bumped from opening slot on the band's upcoming tour. Mann had posted a cartoon on her social media explaining her upcoming absence from the dates, insinuating that it was due to a female act not going over well with crowds.

Donald Fagen issued a statement and an apology to Mann, which reads in part:

Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That's something that would never even occur to me. There was a communication problem on our end. I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style.

But I can't pass the buck. I'll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans. In the past, Steely Dan has shared the stage with a number of female performers including Rickie Lee Jones and the late Phoebe Snow.

• Aimee Mann eventually posted a good natured response to Fagen stating: "All is forgiven if Donald just tells me what 'Brooklyn' is about." (Rolling Stone)

Limp Bizkit will hit the road in April for their month-long Still Sucks Tour. The trek opens on April 28th in the band's Florida home state in Tampa and runs through May 31st in Ontario, CA. Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday (March 18th) at 10 a.m. local time at limpbizkit.com.

Limp Bizkit will be supported by Scowl, Wargasm UK, $not, Dying Wish and Yung Gravy for various shows. Later this year, the band will head out on a European run of dates.

Weezer released a new single called "A Little Bit of Love" yesterday (Wednesday, March 16th) from their upcoming EP, called Spring. Sznz: Spring is one of four season-inspired EPs being released by the band this year and it's due out on Sunday (March 20th).

Weezer will perform "A Little Bit of Love" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday (March 21st).

At this point, Weezer will release Sznz: Summer on June 20th, followed by Sznz: Fall on September 22nd and Sznz: Winter on December 21st. Pitchfork.com reports that according to a press release, "each EP has a song that interpolates a movement from Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons."

Happy Birthday to Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan, who turns 55 today (March 17th)!!! Corgan will always be best remembered for writing the Pumpkins' string of classics including "Today," "1979," "Tonight, Tonight," "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Zero," and "Siva," among many others.

Corgan and the band will be heading out for an extended spring run next month, kicking things off on April 30th at Memphis' Beale Street Music Festival and playing through May 29th when the band hits Chillicothe, Illinois' Summer Camp Music Festival.

Smashing Pumpkins released its last album, Cyr, on November 27th, 2020. The set peaked at Number 10 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.

Billy Corgan explained that the last thing he ever wanted was for the Pumpkins to reunite and be viewed as a nostalgia act: "To go back under the Smashing Pumpkins name engendered a lot of people expecting us to be nothing more than a reunion band, playing its greatest hits, and with a fan base not particularly keen to listen to the new music. What I try to tell people that get caught up in the reunion kind of concepts -- like where are the original members and stuff like this -- the band was founded on an idea that it must be progressive and it must always be moving forward."

An unreleased Prince album will soon be available, thanks to Jack White's Third Man Records.

The 1986 album, Camille, was described as featuring "pitched-up vocals by Prince, to channel his feminine persona." It will include the album's original eight songs. Individually, the tracks have been released, but never as the album it was meant to be.

One of the songs, "Good Love" appeared on the soundtrack to Bright Lights, Big City and "Rockhard in a Funky Place" ended up on 1994's The Black Album.

While Third Man hasn't yet shared the official release date for Camille, they did confirm that "Housequake," "Strange Relationship," and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" were included on Prince's next record, the 1987 double-LP, Sign O' The Times.

TL;DR:

• An unreleased Prince album will soon be available, thanks to Jack White's Third Man Records.
• The 1986 album, Camille is said to channel Prince's feminine persona.
• No release date yet.

Sharon Osbourne is set to address Ozzy Osbourne's cheating in her new book "Coming Home." According to Loudwire, a description of her book read as follows, "In this, the fourth installment of her autobiography, Sharon details some of the hardest years she's experienced: the anguish of a broken marriage and Ozzy's infidelities, the constant spectre of drug abuse, the loss of friends and betrayal of colleagues and her ongoing battles with mental health crises."

The fourth installment of her autobiography is due out on October 25th.

Paul Stanley has named Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant "The Best Lead Singer Of All Time." The Kiss frontman Tweeted: "The Best Lead Singers Of All Time?? How about 11 off the top of my head…"

His list of the Top 11 best vocalists put Plant at Number One, Small Faces and Humble Pie's Steve Marriott coming in at Number Two, with Queen's Freddie Mercury rounding out the Top Three.

Paul Stanley, and unapologetic die-hard Zeppelin fan since the beginning, recalled his first time catching the band back in the day in Queens, New York: "I saw Led Zeppelin play for under 2,000 people -- probably in '68. The New York State Pavilion, which was at the World's Fair in New York. It's as close to a religious experience as I would count on one hand."

Kiss kicks off its next string of dates on April 19th in Santiago, Chile at Movistar Arena.

Paul Stanley's list of The Top 11 'Best Lead Singers Of All Time':

1. Robert Plant - Led Zeppelin
2. Steve Marriott - Small Faces, Humble Pie
3. Freddie Mercury - Queen
4. David Ruffin - The Temptations
5. Rod Stewart - The Faces, solo
6. Paul Rodgers - Free, Bad Company
7. Janis Joplin - Big Brother & The Holding Company, solo
8. Steve Perry - Journey
9. Brad Delp - Boston
10. Brian Johnson - AC/DC
10. Lou Gramm - Foreigner
11. Ann Wilson - Heart

Sammy Hagar will publish his latest cocktail book, Sammy Hagar's Cocktail Hits, on March 29th. The book features a whopping 85 of the "Red Rocker's" favorite recipes with a forward written by Guy Fieri, and is available now for pre-order now. Cocktail Hits offers up such easy-to-follow recipes as the "Maui Mama," "Tiki Swizzle," and Blanco Gimlet," among others.

Sammy Hagar said in the book's official announcement:

I have been working and studying the art of making and drinking cocktails for decades now, and have finally pulled together all my favorites, my knowledge on how to do it, and what we need to throw the best parties with the best cocktails and some tips on how to put it all together.

I guarantee this is the only cocktail book you will ever need. It's kind of like my greatest hits from in front and behind the bar.

At your service,
Sammy

Thanks to its placement in the movie, The Batman, a 30 year old deep cut by Nirvana has made its way onto the rock charts.

According to Billboard, "Something in the Way" earned 3.1 million on-demand official U.S. streams in the first four days of the movie's release. It's also on several Billboard charts, including # 6 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, #20 on the Digital Song Sales chart… And it's #27 on the Billboard Streaming Songs chart. Director Matt Reeves says he listened to a lot of Nirvana music while making the movie and says that Bruce Wayne and Kurt Cobain were similar, because both were addicts.

"Something in the Way" appears twice in the film and was used in one of the first trailers. It's from Nirvana's album, Nevermind.

Korn's Johnathan Davis has revealed that he is suffering from "Long Covid." During an interview with Lipps Service with Scott Lipps, Davis -- who was diagnosed with covid last August, said, "I think I got that long COVID stuff. I'm still fatigued like crazy. I'm doing the best I can. But I'm alive. And hopefully in time this will get better."

When asked about how he feels about touring during the pandemic, Jonathan said: "I'm gonna live my life and get on with it. I definitely cater my life around not getting sick, though, because if I get sick, there's no show. COVID or not, that's been my life my whole career. I've got my own bus. I stay away from people on purpose because if I get sick, there's no one to fill in for me."

He continued, "With the other guys, when they all got sick with COVID, we had people on standby; they flew out instantly, they could fill in and we could do a show. But with me, I've gotta be careful. I always have been, but it's now to the point where I'm like… A year ago, that was, like… I was freaking out. Laughs I was, like, 'I don't wanna get this.' And I go out on tour and I get it. And there you go."

Only 30 years on since breaking on the scene, the grunge revolution headed up by Nirvana and Pearl Jam has all but cornered the rock collectible market.

Famed Los Angeles record store owner Wayne Johnson of Rockaway Records in Silverlake is one of rock's busiest and knowledgeable collectors and told us that the 1990's are the new 1960's for rock memorabilia: "It kinda reminds me how quick Beatles, and (Rolling) Stones, and Elvis (Presley) sold back 30, 40 years ago. I just can't keep it in stock. And Pearl Jam is only number two for collectibles; a Nirvana collection would even do better. I'm paying ridiculous money for stuff and it seems like there's no limit. They're stuff is going up quicker than just about anybody. Y'know, grunge -- and punk stuff is doing real well, too. The punk stuff is going up crazy, as well. Soundgraden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana -- I think they're the big four."

The guys at Rockaway Records are actively seeking new archives from diehards and casual fans alike, with many people actually completely unaware of the virtual goldmine they might be sitting on: "Right now the collectibles market is probably the best I've seen in over 40 years. We're selling stiff so fast now that I'm desperate for high quality collections -- and will pay big, big money for the right stuff. And a lot of people think that, 'Hey -- I'll do better (selling) on eBay, why should I sell to a dealer?' That's not always the best way to go, auctions. I mean, sometimes it is and if somebody has something I think will do better in an auction house, I'm gonna tell 'em so."

For more information on Rockaway Records, log on to: info@rockaway.com

Coldplay premiered the official video for "People Of The Pride," from their album Music Of The Spheres, on Tuesday (March 15th).

Directed by Paul Dugdale, the pulsating video mixes live footage from the band's October 2021 performance at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena with robot-heavy, dystopian animation.

The band's global stadium tour begins in Costa Rica on Friday (March 18th).

Heart's Nancy Wilson took time out to salute country legend Dolly Parton for asking to be pulled out of the running for induction into this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Wilson, along with the rest of Heart, was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2013 and while appearing on L.A. radio station KLOS, she commended Parton for opting out of the honor. Blabbermouth transcribed some of the chat, which had Wilson saying, "How classy. . . It's really cool for her to step down like that, because the category is so broad. Like, Dionne Warwick is not a rock performer, and a lot of them are not, and they should make different categories under the bigger Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame moniker. They should have a Country Hall Of Fame and a Pop Hall Of Fame and a Rap Hall Of Fame and a Rock Hall Of Fame. I think that would be really smart, if they started to do that. 'Cause I've gotta vote for it, like, tomorrow."

Regarding the blending of the genres that seem to comprise what "rock n' roll" is considered, Wilson admitted, "It's really tough because Lionel Richie is in there. If you try to narrow it to what really is rock, it excludes too many others. So I think she's really a class act to have done that. It makes me wanna write a rock record with her. . . I should give her a call. She can do anything. She's written some of the best songs in our history. She can do it."

On Tuesday, (March 15th) The Recording Academy announced the first slate of artists to perform at this year's 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Taking the stage on Music's Biggest Night will be current nominees Brothers Osborne, BTS, Brandi Carlile, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and hosted by Trevor Noah, the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live Sun, April 3rd on CBS.